Interferometric optical isolator employing a nonreciprocal phase shift operated in a unidirectional magnetic field

An interferometric optical isolator that employs a nonreciprocal phase shift was studied. The optical isolator consisted of an interferometer with distinct layer structures. A traveling light wave underwent distinct nonreciprocal phase shifts such that the optical isolator could be operated in a unidirectional magnetic field. The optical isolator, in which the waveguide had a HfO2 cladding layer in one of the arms, was designed at a wavelength of 1.55 microm. The propagation distance of the nonreciprocal phase shifter required for the isolator's operation was less than 1.5 mm. The device's total length was less than 2 mm. An optical isolator with distinct layer structures was fabricated and evaluated. An isolation ratio of approximately 9.9 dB was obtained in the unidirectional magnetic field.     

Wideband design of nonreciprocal phase shift magneto-optical isolators using phase adjustment in Mach-Zehnder interferometers

A wideband design is proposed for nonreciprocal phase shift magneto-optical isolators based on Mach-Zehnder interferometers. The wavelength dependence of nonreciprocal phase difference between the backward waves propagating in two interferometer arms is compensated for by that of reciprocal phase difference. This is realized by introducing an appropriate phase bias in one of interferometer arms. Two design examples are presented with a backward loss of >30 dB in the wavelength range of 1.40-1.63 microm for a magnetic garnet waveguide isolator and of 1.485-1.630 microm for a Si-wire waveguide isolator.     

新型光隔离器结构设计与实验性能测试

提出一种功能复用光隔离器设计方案。在传统光隔离器中加入了透镜对,两透镜间拥有一个相邻共焦面,具有空间光交叉功能,能实现功能复用光隔离器输入输出多尾纤之间的对应耦合;二者结合组成空间复用功能系统,使光隔离器具有功能复用的作用。该光隔离器的主要性能测量结果表明,所设计的1550nm双通道功能复用光隔离器两个通道的插入损耗分别为0.43dB和0.31dB,隔离度分别为43dB和40dB,两个功能隔离器之间的串扰都大于60dB,达到了隔离器需要满足的性能指标,在低插损、高隔离的基础上具有功能复用效用。     

Demonstration of a linear optical true-time delay device by use of a microelectromechanical mirror array

We present the design and proof-of-concept demonstration of an optical device capable of producing true-time delay(s) (TTD)(s) for phased array antennas. This TTD device uses a free-space approach consisting of a single microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) mirror array in a multiple reflection spherical mirror configuration based on the White cell. Divergence is avoided by periodic refocusing by the mirrors. By using the MEMS mirror to switch between paths of different lengths, time delays are generated. Six different delays in 1-ns increments were demonstrated by using the Texas Instruments Digital Micromirror Device as the switching element. Losses of 1.6 to 5.2 dB per bounce and crosstalk of -27 dB were also measured, both resulting primarily from diffraction from holes in each pixel and the inter-pixel gaps of the MEMS.     

Edge location by use of optical phase variation

Traditional optical methods for locating an edge are based on light intensity variation with respect to a reference triggering level. Since the intensity variation is subject to stray light, the intensity variation of the light source, and the triggering level variation, the exact position of the edge cannot be determined. We describe a method for edge location that uses a phase variation in a modified differential interferometer. The maximal point of the slope of the phase variation across an edge is determined exactly by the relative position between the focused beam spot and the detected edge if the initial intensity ratio of the two single-frequency interference beams is kept unchanged. Therefore the phase variation can be used to locate the edge with high resolution and accuracy. To make practical use of the phase variation, the second derivative of the phase was used as a monotonic zero-crossing signal across the edge. The theoretical and the experimental verification have been conducted in detail. The results of the experiment show the feasibility of edge location when phase variation is used. The scheme is not affected by stray light and the intensity variation of the light source.     

A fiber optic phase modulator with an optical frequency shift of up to 20 GHz

A fiber optic phase modulator is described in which the phase of a light wave traveling in an optical fiber is modulated by a composite electromechanical resonator with Q≌1000. The instantaneous frequency of the wave at the modulator output varies according to a harmonic law. The interval of tuning of the instantaneous light wave frequency achieved in the experiment is 20 GHz, which corresponds to a modulation index of ≌10⁶. It is demonstrated that a maximum value of the frequency tuning range is determined by the elastic limit of the resonator material.     

Demonstration of a multichannel optical interconnection by use of imaging fiber bundles butt coupled to optoelectronic circuits

Through five experiments, we demonstrate and characterize the basic functionality of imaging fiber bundles for optoelectronic chip-level interconnections. We demonstrate the transmission of spot arrays with spot sizes and a spot pitch roughly equal to 2 and 4 times the core pitch, respectively. We show that optoelectronic integrated circuits, including sources and detectors, can be butt coupled directly to fiber bundles without any additional optical elements. We demonstrate a 16-channel interconnect with -23 dB of cross talk, and we characterize the most significant optical loss mechanism. Finally, we show how imaging fiber bundles can be used to implement more complex interconnection structures by an example of a hybrid-bonded structure that implements a low-cost, high-connectivity solution for more advanced system architectures.     

All-optical isolator under arbitrary linearly polarized fundamental wave in an optical superlattice

We theoretically investigate an all-optical isolator under arbitrary linearly polarized fundamental wave (FW) input in an optical superlattice (OSL). The scheme is based on simultaneously phase matching the first-order Type I (oo-e) quasi-phase-matching (QPM) second-harmonic generation (SHG) process and higher-order Type 0 (ee-e) QPM SHG process in an OSL with a defect inserted in an asymmetrical position. Simulation results show that the contrast ratio of the all-optical isolator can maintain close to 1 under arbitrary linearly polarized FW. Thus, an all-optical isolator based on an OSL that is not sensitive to the direction of linear polarization can be realized. We also show that, with the defect in a strong asymmetry position, the length of the defect can be designed flexibly to maintain a high contrast ratio. Additionally, if the length of the OSL is longer, the nonreciprocal response can be realized for low optical intensities.     

Engineering the nonlinear phase shift with multistage autoregressive moving-average optical filters

We propose and demonstrate the application of concepts from digital filter design in order to optimize artificial optical resonant structures to produce a nearly ideal nonlinear phase shift response. Multistage autoregressive moving average (ARMA) optical filters (ring-resonator-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer lattices) are designed and studied. The filter group delay is used as a measure instead of finesse or quality factor to study the nonlinear sensitivity for multiple resonances. The nonlinearity of a four-stage ARMA filter is 17 times higher than that of the intrinsic material of the same group delay. We demonstrate that the nonlinear sensitivity can be increased within constant bandwidth by allocating more in-band phase or by using higher-order filter structures and that the nonlinear sensitivity enhancement improves with increasing group delay. We also investigate methods to precompensate the nonlinear response to reduce the occurrence of optical bistabilities. The effect of optical loss, including linear absorption and two-photon absorption, is discussed in postanalysis. In addition, we discuss how the improvement in nonlinear response scales with respect to various filter parameters.     

Correction of birefringence and thermal lensing in nonreciprocal resonators by use of a dynamic imaging mirror

Enhanced correction of thermally induced birefringence in the presence of strong single-pass, azimuthally dependent bipolar focusing was achieved in single-rod laser oscillators by use of an adaptive optic rear mirror with image relay and aberration correction capabilities. Together with a Faraday rotator, the imaging variable radius mirror was successfully tested in stable and unstable Nd:Cr:GSGG power oscillators under variable pump power conditions from 0 to 800 W. Birefringence correction in the absence of ray retracing was achieved.     

Possibility of an optical focal shift with polarization masks

The polarization phase shift (PPS) has emerged as an important analytical tool in optical metrology. The present study utilizes the concept of controlling the polarization phase in applications such as focal shift and automatic focusing. When elliptically polarized light, in general, is incident upon a circularly symmetric polarization mask consisting of circular and annular zones with each zone having a unique linear polarizability, the polarization-phase difference introduced between the polarization-masked zones is also circularly symmetric. With the mask at the lens aperture, the polarization phase introduced is multiplicative with the lens function and is shown to result in a shift of the Gaussian focus plane. Because the polarization phase can be controlled by variation of the polarization parameters, the effective focal length of the imaging system can be varied within a small range. A study of the point-spread functions at the shifted focal planes has shown that the quality of the focal patch in these planes is comparable with that produced by a diffraction-limited imaging system at Gaussian focus. The shift of focus can be achieved by control of the polarization of the input beam. It is anticipated that this technique may find application in areas for which dynamic focusing within a small range is required.     

One-way imaging through a polarization-sensitive aberrator by use of an optical lock-in detection

We demonstrate one-way image compensation for a thin and polarization-sensitive aberrator by the use of optical lock-in detection. Optical lock-in detection is accomplished by dual-phase modulation in four-wave mixing in a holographic medium. In our scheme, both the image-bearing beam and the reference beam copropagate through the aberrator under the same polarization condition. The holographic grating that reconstructs only the corrected image was generated by selective recording in optical lock-in detection. The phase aberration is subtracted out in the holographic process. This scheme permits image correction through the polarization-sensitive aberrator.     

Focused optical beams obtained at planar structures by an imaginary shift in position

A theory for focused optical beams at planar structures is described. It is an extension of a previous theory based on summation of plane waves. The focused beam is obtained by an imaginary shift in the position vector of the plane waves. It is well suited for calculations of electromagnetic fields at planar surface plasmon resonance structures excited by a focused optical beam.     

Phase retrieval with a three-frame phase-shifting algorithm with an unknown phase shift

A three-frame phase-shifting algorithm with a constant but unknown phase shift is proposed. The algorithm is based on background-intensity removal prior to phase retrieval to eliminate an undetermined factor in a fringe pattern. The proposed method is validated on three-dimensional profilometry by fringe projection and on deformation measurement by means of digital speckle shearing interferometry. For a fringe pattern with slow-varying background intensity, the background removal is achieved in the frequency domain. For a speckle pattern, a background removal technique is integrated with the three-frame algorithm. In this process, manual intervention is minimal, and high computational speed is achieved. In addition, high-frequency phase signals would not be removed in the noise-reduction process as is the case in the bandpass-filtering technique. Accuracy of the method is discussed.     

Elimination of a back-reflected TE mode in a TM-mode optical isolator with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Eimination of a back-reflected TE mode traveling in a TM-mode optical isolator was investigated. The optical isolator had a Mach-Zehnder interferometer that included a polarization-dependent reciprocal phase shifter in one of the arms. The reciprocal phase shift was achieved by an optical path difference between the two arms. By adjustment of the length of the reciprocal phase shifter, the interferometer prevented the back-reflected TE mode from coupling into an input port of the isolator. An extinction ratio of more than 18 dB was obtained against the back-reflected TE mode at a wavelength of 1.55 microm.     

Diffractive optical isolator made of high-efficiency dielectric gratings only

The working principle of an optical isolator made of two corrugated dielectric gratings is introduced. One grating acts as a polarizer, and the other acts as a quarter-wave plate used in conical incidence converting linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light. Global maxima of diffraction efficiency for surface-corrugated gratings with binary, sinusoidal, and pyramidal ridge shapes with dependence on the material index are identified. Regarding technological feasibility for use in the visible wavelength range, high-frequency gratings with a binary shape were realized. With these gratings, an extinction ratio of more than 40 dB for the polarizer is theoretically possible, and more than 20 dB was experimentally achieved. A good correlation between theoretically calculated efficiencies and birefringences based on rigorous methods and the experimental results is demonstrated.     

Secure optical data storage with random phase key codes by use of a configuration of a joint transform correlator

A secure optical storage based on a configuration of a joint transform correlator by use of a photorefractive material is presented. A key code designed through the use of an optimized algorithm so that its Fourier transform has a uniform amplitude distribution and a uniformly random phase distribution is introduced. Original two-dimensional data and the key code are placed side-by-side at the input plane. Both of them are stored in a photorefractive material as a joint power spectrum. The retrieval of the original data can be achieved with the same key code. We can record multiple two-dimensional data in the same crystal by angular multiplexing and/or key code multiplexing.     

Obtaining a given phase shift between voltages by the beating method

Conclusions The tests carried out by us have shown that it is possible with the above beating method circuit to set a given phase difference between voltages with an error not exceeding 0.1–0.3°, providing the described precautionary measures are observed. The above method can find wide application in producing reference phase-difference generators used for checking electronic phasemeters.The majority of phasemeters intended for measuring phase differences between two voltages have a linear scale and incorporate devices for setting the zero value of the phase. In such meters only the linearity of their scale need be checked. This circumstance makes considerably less stringent the requirements for the identity of the phasedifference generator amplifying channels, since the setting of the zero value of the phase can be made by means of the tested phasemeter.If the output of one of the channels is fitted with a calibrated potential divider it also becomes possible to use the device for measuring voltages by the compensation method.Phase-difference generators with a continuous adjustment of the phase angle in a given frequency range can be used widely not only for testing purposes but also for measuring phase characteristics of amplifiers, filters, and other radio equipment, as well as for adjusting components of tracking systems, computers, and other automatic equipment.